Judgment
Our existence does not end at
death. There is a judgment that comes after death. "For we must all appear
before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive good or evil,
according to what he has done in the body" (2 Corinthians 5:10). At the
coming of Christ, God will judge everyone who has ever lived, according to the
word of God. He is all knowing, and will bring to light things done in secret.
We will all have to give account for every sin that we have committed. The
outcome of the judgment will decide each person's eternal destiny.
Condemnation
God will execute his judgment on
the unbelievers "when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his
mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance upon those who do not know
God and upon those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They shall
suffer the punishment of eternal destruction and exclusion from the presence of
the Lord and from the glory of his might" (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9).
Sinners who did not receive the
atonement of Jesus Christ will have to bear the consequences of sin--eternal
death. "I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and
books were opened. Also another book was opened, which is the book of life. And
the dead were judged by what was written in the books, by what they had
done.... This is the second death, the lake of fire; and if any one's name was
not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of
fire" (Revelation -15).
Salvation
On judgment day, believers of Christ
will be saved from the wrath of God because their sins have been paid for.
"Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a
second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for
him" (Hebrews 9:28).
The saved ones will see Jesus the
King face to face, and he will say to them, "Come, O blessed of my Father,
inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world"
(Matthew 25:34). The King will also reward them a glorious crown for their faithful
service.
They will enter the heavenly city
and live in the splendid glory of God. "Night shall be no more; they need
no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they shall
reign for ever and ever" (Revelation 22:5).
